AT Nolo, Iowa, there is a very busy mission band, of nine members, which is making up a box for a hospital in Council Bluffs. They are earning money in various ways. Some gather eggs and have one out of every dozen, some have raised chickens, one little pigs. One boy’s father offered him ten cents apiece for all the squirrels he would catch on the farm. But so many poor nut-crackers became prisoners that the price came down to two and one half cents. The Band held a Lawn Festival, at which they sold various refreshments, and made thirteen dollars. They are knitting stockings, hoods, and mittens, dressing a doll and piecing a comforter. Success to all who “are not weary in well-doing.” IN the streets of large mission stations of Japan, there are rooms open all day, in charge of the missionaries, where the heathen may learn of the true religion. A countryman entered one of these stations and had a long talk with one of the missionaries,—whom it was our pleasure to meet this summer. When he went home he was a Christian. Some weeks afterward the missionaries received a letter from him. He wrote: “We have here a church, Sabbath-school, prayer-meeting, etc., all composed of one member. I get along nicely, except for the Communion Service. And if you could send me by mail a bit of the bread you use could I not have a service all by myself?” The bread was sent, and some time later the convert wrote back how much he enjoyed the Communion Service, all alone, with Jesus. THE young people of a certain church in the West, had a chance not long since to give an object lesson and did it well. One of their number who had been long absent from home, soon after her return, made an entertainment for her friends; delightful music was to be expected, and some other enjoyments of a special character. The invitations were sent out for Friday evening; to the lady’s disappointment, one, and another and another, of those whom she specially wanted, politely declined the invitation; they were sorry not to be with her; under other circumstances nothing would give them greater pleasure, but for that evening they had a previous engagement. On being pressed as to what it was, they explained that it was the evening for their regular young people’s prayer meeting! Their friend was so astonished at this reply, that she took some trouble to learn whether the young ladies had known of one another’s intentions in declining her invitation, and found that each had acted without knowing what the other meant to do. Don’t you think she must have decided that in the minds of some people the prayer meeting was an important place, and the engagement to attend it was not to be lightly broken? [Illustration: The P. S. CORNER]